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As I said, I have no idea what MS considers to be "priority updates". I have to assume you have checked your Update History and see no updates, period. Personally, I am accepting all updates so that I can respond in a timely fashion when others have problems as a result. My Update History actually shows no Critical or Priority updates for quite some time. Also, "defer updates" does indeed put them off, but only for a limited time.

One thing I also did was opt out of being a tester (the "fast ring") and getting early updates, because in Windows 10 that caused a lot of problems.

Reliable information sites regarding updates:

http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/metered-connections-windows-10-creators-update-will-not-block-all-windows-update-download

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3181991/windows/windows-10s-creators-update-may-nerf-a-workaround-to-mandatory-updates.html

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13 hours ago, johanson said:

Hey BCdoug. No kidding when I saw your name, I thought I read something very different something that was very important to us when we were much much younger. I swear I thought it said BCbud. Sorry about that.

Did you lead a wayward youth (sounds like fun)    BCbud, coming soon (july 1, 2018) but then WA is ahead  of Canada

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15 hours ago, MarkWebles said:

Then why ask? 

good point.   I would like to use Linux, but not for day trading at the moment - I am a minor player geek - Linux requires a lot of fiddling for anything not included on the install disk.    I would guess anything included in the core install works very well, anything else, I would not trust 100% and in day trading I would want 100%

 

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19 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

As I said, I have no idea what MS considers to be "priority updates". I have to assume you have checked your Update History and see no updates, period. Personally, I am accepting all updates so that I can respond in a timely fashion when others have problems as a result. My Update History actually shows no Critical or Priority updates for quite some time. Also, "defer updates" does indeed put them off, but only for a limited time.

One thing I also did was opt out of being a tester (the "fast ring") and getting early updates, because in Windows 10 that caused a lot of problems.

Reliable information sites regarding updates:

http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/metered-connections-windows-10-creators-update-will-not-block-all-windows-update-download

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3181991/windows/windows-10s-creators-update-may-nerf-a-workaround-to-mandatory-updates.html

Yes, correct assumption, I checked update history before my previous post, and no updates have been downloaded since I bought this laptop and tweeked all the settings almost exactly a year ago.

Will be interested to see if they automatically start downloading when I take a trip to Canada in a few weeks and am connected to my friends' and family's unlimited internet.

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On 6/17/2017 at 10:37 AM, ComputerGuy said:

The problem I have with all Windows updates is that so many of them "break" your Windows installation. Obviously, this doesn't happen to all people all the time. But in my line of offering advice, of course I get to see many more examples of problems, as that is when people call for help. This was proven once again after Windows 10 came out and removed the ability to turn off updates (the Creators Update, being distributed now, finally has an option to change this. Why? Same reason: people, and corporations, getting sick of updates that break their computers). I had quite a number of calls from people with W10 upgrades that killed the operating system, flat out.

I have been turning OFF upgrades since Windows XP, and not once has anybody reported --through XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1)-- that they were having problems as a result. And those security updates affect so few of us that they are not necessary either, at least not from Microsoft, and not until you hear about it (which by then is too late anyway, as they are mostly fixes after-the-fact). Flash and Java are a different story: they are extremely susceptible to infiltration, and while a huge PITA, they should be acknowledged.

Windows rot is more comparable to, say, your tire treads wearing out over time. This happens whether you apply updates or not; it is just the way Windows works with its registry. Over three or four years, Windows slows down until it gets to a point where you wonder what's going on.

The update that Windows issued in March (can't remember the number) was engineered to protect pcs from ransomeware, even XP. Those that did not manually or automatically install this update were/are at increased risk for WannaCry and other forms of ransomeware, so I disagree that the "important" monthly updates from Microsoft are optional. The updates with the word "security", that is.

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5 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

Once again, the update was applied after the fact, that is, after the damage had been done, as I stated.

 Was not aware of that, thanks. Are we reasonably well protected now from WannaCry, et al. with this update? I also have CryptoPrevent premium version. I have Windows 7 pro for my OS.

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According to what I read recently in PC Magazine, the perpetrators only need to jig a couple of lines of code to make it new all over again.

It is difficult to find current, properly-researched information on CryptoPrevent. There is lots of silly talk out there from people who profess to "know their stuff". All I can say for sure is, when something good becomes available, I will quickly know about it. PCMag online says it is innefective and interferes with normal computer use. http://www.pcmag.com/review/353931/cryptoprevent-premium-8

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42 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

According to what I read recently in PC Magazine, the perpetrators only need to jig a couple of lines of code to make it new all over again.

It is difficult to find current, properly-researched information on CryptoPrevent. There is lots of silly talk out there from people who profess to "know their stuff". All I can say for sure is, when something good becomes available, I will quickly know about it. PCMag online says it is innefective and interferes with normal computer use. http://www.pcmag.com/review/353931/cryptoprevent-premium-8

Is there ransomeware software you can recommend that would be compatible with Bitdefender Free?

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46 minutes ago, AngusMactavish said:

If you do not update Windows 10 as the updates are released, you are ignorant. If you run Windows 7 or XP, you are a (cheap) fool.

Then I guess I'm ignorant. Had to retire my last laptop, as I downloaded all the "important" and "priority" security updates as they came available until my computer ran at the speed of molasses. I can't afford a new laptop every year just because MS wants me to. Have not updated in a year, nothing, on this new laptop. Have 2 good virus programs running. Have had no issues.

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2 hours ago, blankletmusic said:

Is there ransomeware software you can recommend that would be compatible with Bitdefender Free?

Any anti-malware program will run alongside any antivirus program. But no, I do not have one I can recommend, because the ones I know about have been bypassed quite easily by newer attacks.

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2 hours ago, AngusMactavish said:

If you do not update Windows 10 as the updates are released, you are ignorant. If you run Windows 7 or XP, you are a (cheap) fool.

What a terrible and misguided thing to say... to anybody. However, thanks for making the statement, because now we all know exactly where "AngusMactavish" stands in this world, which still prefers respect and integrity to insensitivity and insults.

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3 hours ago, mudgirl said:

Then I guess I'm ignorant. Had to retire my last laptop, as I downloaded all the "important" and "priority" security updates as they came available until my computer ran at the speed of molasses. I can't afford a new laptop every year just because MS wants me to. Have not updated in a year, nothing, on this new laptop. Have 2 good virus programs running. Have had no issues.

The problem is that the vast majority of computer users have experience only with a very few computers, and are not able to gain much more. And nor should they. Just as I hire a mechanic for my car, or a repair guy for my washer and dryer, because I don't care to take the time to learn many year's worth of a different skillset.

However, as vtarasov pointed out early on in this thread, more likely your PC is suffering from Windows "rot". And that is something that happens to every single installation of Windows no matter how careful we are. After three, four, maybe five years, all PCs slow down (and as the Mac OS continues to expand and variagate, it is also beginning to show these symptoms). Generally speaking, the updates --if and when they do cause damage-- are more serious and instantly noticeable. And quite often fixable. Whereas the "rot" occurs over time, as the Windows code is continually hammered just by daily use. It's just the way the program is written. Yes, lots of complaints about the unnecessary problems the Windows Registry has caused over the years can be found all over the Web. But until it changes, that is life.

One good thing is that a reinstallation can seem like a miracle to the afflicted. Just the other day, I redid a Windows 7 laptop that had so many active updates installed that they took up perhaps 30% of the entire hard drive... and because you cannot delete the update folders, they just chew away at your OS forever. More updates, along with more use, keep slowing things down. I've had lots of people tell me that it was time to buy a new laptop, after only a few years of use. Fortunately, with a fresh install of Windows, they now know that these things can go on for years and years.

Don't let the phoney Scotsman get you down.

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18 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

Any anti-malware program will run alongside any antivirus program. But no, I do not have one I can recommend, because the ones I know about have been bypassed quite easily by newer attacks.

Have read very good things about Hitman Pro Alert and Zemana Antimalware Premium as both being very effective against ransomeware, particularly the former.

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Good info, Computer Guy, re the re-installation, thanks.  I'll remember that if my 1 year old laptop starts running slow. Last one ran slower and slower, and then the battery died and wouldn't recharge anymore. Even the computer guy in PV, after trying with new battery, couldn't determine why it wouldn't recharge. It just seemed dead.

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29 minutes ago, mudgirl said:

Good info, Computer Guy, re the re-installation, thanks.  I'll remember that if my 1 year old laptop starts running slow. Last one ran slower and slower, and then the battery died and wouldn't recharge anymore. Even the computer guy in PV, after trying with new battery, couldn't determine why it wouldn't recharge. It just seemed dead.

I can answer the battery question, although probably not to anyone's satisfaction. After three or four years, or even less, they all weaken and eventually die. I don't know if it is just the way batteries work (or don't work) these days, but I do know that there is so much conflicting information about proper maintenance of your laptop battery, that I just gave up and do whatever I feel like doing... leaving it plugged in or not.

The brand-name replacements can easily be twice the cost of finding a generic battery online. And of course the generics are most often identical to the originals, having been manufactured at the same plants.

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I'm no techie for sure but if you were worried about WannaCry, this article in the NY Times says it was just a cover to install something much more sinister.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/technology/ransomware-attack-nsa-cyberweapons.html

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6 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

I can answer the battery question, although probably not to anyone's satisfaction. After three or four years, or even less, they all weaken and eventually die. I don't know if it is just the way batteries work (or don't work) these days, but I do know that there is so much conflicting information about proper maintenance of your laptop battery, that I just gave up and do whatever I feel like doing... leaving it plugged in or not.

The brand-name replacements can easily be twice the cost of finding a generic battery online. And of course the generics are most often identical to the originals, having been manufactured at the same plants.

It's not just that the battery died, or maybe that wasn't the problem anyway. The screen just went black one day. The computer technician tried it with a new battery and still couldn't get it fired up. He said he checked out all the usual things that could cause that, but couldn't find anything and asked if I really wanted him to spend a bunch more time on it. The laptop was 5 years old, so I didn't mind TOO much buying a new one.

And I have to say I don't get the computer battery thing. Supposedly you're not supposed to let a computer battery run all the way out of juice because it damages the battery? What's the point of having something that can run on a battery if you have to make sure it's not getting too low or it will toast it?

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That laptop problem sounds more like a Power Supply issue, a dead mobo, or a dead video chip. The battery would have nothing to do with causing the circumstances you mention.

As to your other battery questions... who knows.

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The only thing I know for sure is when I read all these tech forums, it is always "Microsoft" that has problems.  I seldom see any problems with Macs and never any problems with Linux.

If you want to run Microsoft, I'd suggest that you do a clean install, add all your programs, check everything and then clone a disk the same size as the original drive.  Not image, but clone.

Then swap out the disks, make sure that it works and store the original disk.

When the system goes to hell, swap out the drives, clone it again and store that one.

I actually run Linux and find it to work every day without fail.

I hate Microsoft.  It is more "user friendly" but it is bloated and horribly slow.  It is worse than a nagging wife when it comes to updates.  If something works, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!

 

 

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9 hours ago, mudgirl said:

It's not just that the battery died, or maybe that wasn't the problem anyway. The screen just went black one day. The computer technician tried it with a new battery and still couldn't get it fired up. He said he checked out all the usual things that could cause that, but couldn't find anything and asked if I really wanted him to spend a bunch more time on it. The laptop was 5 years old, so I didn't mind TOO much buying a new one.

And I have to say I don't get the computer battery thing. Supposedly you're not supposed to let a computer battery run all the way out of juice because it damages the battery? What's the point of having something that can run on a battery if you have to make sure it's not getting too low or it will toast it?

Had the same thing happen with an HP.  Dead video chip.  Benno fixed it once, lasted about a year, same thing again.  Turns out this is a common problem with that series of HP, caused by too much heat.

Got a cheap Dell.  Has lasted for years.  Getting another one next trip north as a backup.

 

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